12.28.2012

he'd hinted at the possibility of needing good waterproof gloves. in case of snowballs.

and so we laughed a lot. which was the best part. but we also threw a lot of snowballs at each other. and then we stopped for some coffee, with a short sit at the coffee shop enjoying the hot coffee in our hands and cold air on our faces.

also, a side note. we've been enjoying the *biscochitos* our landlady, senora santistevan, gifted to us. i'd read about them, and hoped to try them. and now when I attempt to make them, I know what they are supposed to taste like.

12.27.2012

our drive to kansas started before the sunrise. so as we drove north, we watched as the sky over the mountains glowed in pinks.

and on our drive back to new mexico, the oklahoma panhandle was blanketed in white above, white below.

we were cheered to find the skies turning blue as we continued west & south.

our visit to kansas was brief. but we started with my father's side of the family, in a house full of relatives. with plenty of food and warm people. they all happily welcomed my d. I was glad to see them together, it means much to have all the parts of my family come together.

went to christmas eve service so that I could see my cuties on stage. and then with candles lit, we sang carols from the pews, reminding me of holidays past. then opened presents. only to wake up the next morning to see that santa had brought even more. even the cookies were gone, which amazed my nephew. then a little time at the kitchen table, playing with new animals & learning new toys.

and now we are at home. with new snow. and a happy cat. and a day off to just do whatever.
and a fresh new year is coming.

12.15.2012

yesterday it was snowing when we woke up. big heavy flakes. and then it just kept going all day.

bundled up & with my snow boots (thank goodness for warm boots) I
took a walk. to hear the crunch underfoot. and feel the crisp, cold silence.

the mountains above had disappeared, shrouded in the falling white.

I found some color I'd never noticed before.

wishing this peace in the afternoon had been everywhere, for all.

and then later, I looked out the window and saw what the sunset was doing.
the light was breaking through, hitting the trees, and against the cold, blue-grey clouds it looked like the treetops had turned golden.

12.14.2012

seemed like the kind of day that needed to end with a few candles lit, and some silence. the snow that has fallen all day has been beautiful & serene. the tragic news from a school in Connecticut has been painful & terrifying.

12.06.2012

I made a quick visit to Kansas to see my grandma. because as she told me, she's "feelin poorly".
am very happy I saw her. her blue eyes & her smile will always be a part of me.
while there, I looked through photo albums. and found some pictures to take pictures of.

on the front porch at the farm

for me, every picture is a moment of a story. a clue to a day in the life. and I find I gravitate towards the pictures that were unposed, a little blurred, or maybe just seemingly abstract, simply a glimpse into meaning....the photographer had a reason behind the moment, but it might be up to us now to figure it out.

11.19.2012

the birthday plan had been that if the weather was bad, we'd watch movies all day.
but the weather was instead lovely. so we packed a faspa-style picnic, put on some layers, and headed out to explore.

from the cebolla mesa, where we ate sitting in what we decided was an old buffalo wallow. in the middle of the mesa desert, with no sound but the wind in the trees.
& then a drive up the mountains to near cabresto lake.

where we found snow. and foraged the forest for pine boughs, wild rose hips & pine cones.

later we ate burgers, and a peaches & cream crumble pie. and he fell asleep from all the pie.
he thanks me for spending this time with him, doing his favorite things for a birthday. but now I can't imagine my life any other way.

10.29.2012

I SPOT the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.

10.18.2012

this past weekend was a wedding of friends.
being a couple that love the mountains, they of course wanted to marry with the mountains all around them. so we all traveled up to an old forest service cabin.

it was cold enough that we needed to wear our long underwear.
and we, including the bride, were wearing boots instead of fancy shoes.

a few of us arrived early. to start a warm fire near the old cabin, and set up the chairs in a field surrounded by yellowing aspens and perennially green trees.

one of my new favorite photos. d in his tweed, doing the duty of groomsmen. cutting down aspen boughs in which to decorate the chuppah. the groom had built it with fallen aspen trees. and his friends covered it in a canopy of white branches & yellow leaves.

the chuppah became almost invisible in the landscape.

little snowflakes began to fall just before the ceremony. a beautiful representation of the season.

and the guests sat with blankets. or warmed by the fire.
and it seemed every one knew it was the perfect kind of place for a wedding.